Garden Care Guide

Cabbage Care

Brassica oleracea var. capitata

A hardy, cool-season vegetable that forms tight heads. Seedlings are prepared in summer, planted out in autumn and harvested throughout winter.

Hardy · -10 °C / 14 °F

Monthly care calendar

Timings are for a temperate Northern Hemisphere climate. In warmer areas tasks start earlier, in colder areas later; in the Southern Hemisphere shift them by six months.

January
  • Watering: In the cool season, rainfall is often enough; during a long dry spell, water every 10-15 days just enough to keep the soil moist.
  • General care: Harvest: Cut the head just above the root when it is firm and heavy. Heads may split after sudden heavy rain; do not leave firming heads waiting.
  • Frost risk: Cabbage tolerates down to -10 °C; do not cut a frozen head before it has thawed.
February
  • Watering: In the cool season, rainfall is often enough; during a long dry spell, water every 10-15 days just enough to keep the soil moist.
  • General care: Harvest: Cut the head just above the root when it is firm and heavy. Heads may split after sudden heavy rain; do not leave firming heads waiting.
June
  • General care: For winter cabbage, sow the seeds 1 cm deep in seed trays or a seedbed; keep the seedlings in partial shade and moist.
July
  • General care: For winter cabbage, sow the seeds 1 cm deep in seed trays or a seedbed; keep the seedlings in partial shade and moist.
August
  • Watering: Water deeply at the base 2-3 times a week, in the early morning; do not water again until the soil surface has dried 2-3 cm down.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: Plant seedlings with 5-6 leaves 60-70 cm between rows and 50 cm within the row.
  • Pests & diseases: Check once a week for yellow egg clusters and green caterpillars (cabbage white butterfly) on the undersides of the leaves and pick them off by hand; a fine fleece cover prevents the butterfly from laying eggs.
September
  • Watering: If there is no rain, water 1-2 times a week; the soil should not stay constantly wet.
  • Fertilizing: Mix plenty of compost into the planting site; apply nitrogen fertilizer once during head formation.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: Plant seedlings with 5-6 leaves 60-70 cm between rows and 50 cm within the row.
  • Pests & diseases: Check once a week for yellow egg clusters and green caterpillars (cabbage white butterfly) on the undersides of the leaves and pick them off by hand; a fine fleece cover prevents the butterfly from laying eggs.
  • Pests & diseases: Look for colonies of gray, waxy-coated aphids (cabbage aphid) on the undersides of the leaves; if they are dense, wash the leaves with a strong jet of water.
October
  • Watering: If there is no rain, water 1-2 times a week; the soil should not stay constantly wet.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: Draw soil up around the base of the plants; spread mulch over the root zone.
  • Pests & diseases: Check once a week for yellow egg clusters and green caterpillars (cabbage white butterfly) on the undersides of the leaves and pick them off by hand; a fine fleece cover prevents the butterfly from laying eggs.
  • Pests & diseases: Look for colonies of gray, waxy-coated aphids (cabbage aphid) on the undersides of the leaves; if they are dense, wash the leaves with a strong jet of water.
November
  • Watering: In the cool season, rainfall is often enough; during a long dry spell, water every 10-15 days just enough to keep the soil moist.
  • General care: Harvest: Cut the head just above the root when it is firm and heavy. Heads may split after sudden heavy rain; do not leave firming heads waiting.
December
  • Watering: In the cool season, rainfall is often enough; during a long dry spell, water every 10-15 days just enough to keep the soil moist.
  • General care: Harvest: Cut the head just above the root when it is firm and heavy. Heads may split after sudden heavy rain; do not leave firming heads waiting.

The care advice on this page is general and for information only; it is not professional advice. Plant age, soil and your garden’s microclimate can change the outcome. Plant protection products are mentioned only as general information; they are regulated, and the choice, dose and timing must be decided by a qualified professional under local rules. Consult a landscape architect or agronomist before applying.

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